Archive for the ‘Keynote Talks’ Category

Dr. Ellis’ research interests are in the area of plant metabolism. His current projects include biochemistry and evolution of metabolic enzymes, discovery of signaling mechanisms through which plants sense and respond to environmental changes, and genetic engineering of crop and forest plants to improve their value. He is also interested in the commercial production of biological control agents for horticultural pests. In 2000/01, he served as co-chair of the Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel on “The Future of Food Biotechnology”.

Dr. Patrick Keeling, Associate Professor, Botany, and Scholar of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research

Dr. Patrick Keeling is a biologist and Director of CIFAR’s Integrated Microbial Biodiversity program. Dr. Keeling’s research group studies the evolution and cell biology of protists, the most diverse class of eukaryotic organisms (store their genetic material in the cell nucleus) that are mostly unicellular. Although protists compose the vast majority of eukaryotic diversity, little is known about their history or biology. Dr. Keeling’s group uses molecular biology, microscopy and genome sequencing to change that.

Prof Dowlatabadi research interests involve systems approach to public policy especially when dealing with scientifically complex issues such as interactions between energy, environment and public health; communicable and vector-borne diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, dengue, …); and Global change mitigation, impacts and adaptation. Hadi Dowlatabadi is viewed as something of a luminary in integrated research systems. He’s been credited with almost single-handedly bringing broad-scale assessment models into popular use. Because of his work, climate and energy research can now be observed in an integrated way.

Dr. William Rees, Professor, School of Community and Regional Planning

Prof Rees’ teaching and research focus on the public policy and planning implications of global environmental trends and the necessary ecological conditions for sustainable socioeconomic development. Much of this work is in the realm of human ecology and ecological economics where Prof Rees is best known as the originator of ‘ecological footprint analysis.’